The Keto diet is getting popular among people due to the various health benefits it offers. Ketosis is a metabolic process where the body converts fat into ketone and use it as an energy source. Different studies reveal that this diet is useful in losing weight. This is because of the appetite suppressant effect of this diet.
Also, some studies suggest that ketosis can help with 2 diabetes as well as neurological disorders. If you want to know how to start a keto diet, then keep reading this article.
Table of Content
How to start a keto diet at home?
Cut off carb consumption
One of the essential steps in achieving ketosis is eating a low carb diet. Cells in the body use glucose and sugar as a source of fuel. However, other sources can also be used like ketones and fatty acids.
Glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen from where the body utilizes it. When you take very low carb intake, storage levels of glycogen, and insulin decline. This enables fatty acid from fat stores to be used by your body as an energy source.
The liver converts fatty acid into ketone bodies like acetoacetate, acetone, and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Also, these ketone is used as fuel by some portion of the brain. Atkins diet specifies that taking 20 gm carb of a fewer gram per day for 2 weeks will help you achieve ketosis.
Once it is achieved, you can add a small amount of carb back to your diet slowly to maintain ketosis.
Add coconut oil to the keto diet
Coconut oil helps you achieve ketosis. It contains MCTS for medium-chain triglycerides, which are nothing but fats. Unlike other fats, MCTs can be absorbed rapidly and taken into the liver, where they are converted into ketones are used as an energy source.
Lesbian suggested that eating coconut oil every day helps increase ketone levels in people who have Alzheimer’s disease or other nervous system disorders. Coconut oil has four types of MCTs, and half of its fat comes from lauric acid. Studies reveal that fat sources with a high percentage of lauric acid offer sustained levels of ketosis.
MCTs are used in epileptic children to induce ketosis without restricting carb intake. Always add coconut oil to your type slowly to reduce digestive side effects such as diarrhea and stomach cramping.
Ramp up the physical activity
Keto diet also affects the athletic performance of an individual, as revealed by some studies. Also, remaining active helps in ketosis. When you are exercising, your body depletes the glycogen stores. Depleted glycogen is replenished by eating carbs, which are again broken down into glucose and converted into glycogen. Lowering carb intake means glycogen stores will reduce. Thus, the liver will start increasing the production of ketone and use its fuel source.
Working out, along with fasting, helps in driving up ketone levels. It is important to note that although exercise enhances the production of ketone, it will take 2-4 weeks to adapt ketone and fatty acid by your body as primary energy sources. During this period, your physical performance will lower down.
Increase fat intake
Having enough fat food can help boost ketone level in your body and allow ketosis; a low carb diet has high fat. A ketogenic diet for metabolic health, weight loss, and improved athletics performance offer 60-80% of calories from fat.
Note that too high fat intake doesn’t mean high ketone level. Good day sources must be used in the diet at an appropriate level like- avocado oil, olive oil, butter, coconut oil, tallow, and lard.
Short fast and fat fast
To achieve ketosis, you can do fasting for several hours. Most people experience mild ketosis between the period of breakfast and dinner. Children with epilepsy fast for 24-48 hours before starting a ketogenic diet.
Intermittent fasting involving short fasts also helps induce ketosis.
Fat fasting also boosts ketosis and has a similar effect as fasting. It involves having 1000 calories every day, and 85-90% of it come from fat. Low calorie and high fat intake will help in achieving quick ketosis.
Maintain protein intake
For achieving ketosis, you have to take an adequate amount of protein in your diet. In epileptic patients, both carbs and protein intake are restricted to maximize the ketone level. In cancer patients also, this diet is beneficial as it limits tumor growth. However, cutting on protein intake, maybe not a healthy practice for most people.
Protein at an adequate level is needed to supply the liver with amino acid, and then it is used for gluconeogenesis to make new glucose.
Gluconeogenesis in the liver offers glucose for a few organs and cells in the body which cannot use ketone as fuel, as a portion of the kidney, brain, and red blood cells. Also, the protein intake level should be such high that it helps in maintaining muscle mass.
Check ketone levels from time to time
Test your ketone level from time to time as it will let you know how close are you to achieving your goals. The 3 types of ketones- acetoacetate, acetone, and beta-hydroxybutyrate can be measured in your urine, breath, and blood. Acetone is found in-breath, and the ketonix meter helps to measure acetone. This meter indicates a color and ketosis level.
Also, the blood ketone meter works similarly to the glucose meter. Here a drop of blood is dropped on a strop and inserted into a meter. It measures beta-hydroxybutyrate and indicates ketosis. Lastly, urine helps measure acetoacetate levels. The strip is dipped into urine and shows a color change from pink to purple depending upon the ketone level present. The dark color indicates a high level of ketone.
Conclusion
So this was all about tips to start the keto diet. You can now plan your keto diet and follow the above-given tips to achieve good results from your keto diet. You can also consult a doctor before starting this diet to avoid any future complications.
